TEACHER AND LEARNER

High school teacher follows in the footsteps of his farmer parents

MANY people who come from farming households engage in agriculture at some point in their lives. One person who is following in his father’s footsteps in farming is Raffa “Raffy” Capalaran, a TLE teacher at Talamban National High School in Cebu City. Capalaran has been cultivating plants since elementary. He has fond memories of tending to his own vegetable garden with his father in their backyard. Even though he chose to be an educator later in life, his passion for farming never faded. His attachment to his roots eventually drew him back to agriculture. Now 31, Capalaran is developing his parents’ farm in Sitio Baugo, Barangay Budla-an, Cebu City where he already planted a variety of fruit trees and ornamental plants. However, since the property is nestled on a hillside, some parts of it are not ideal for crop production. Eager to raise crops, Capalaran managed to build terraces in selected areas of the farm and grow crops on them.